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Henning Wellejus

composer
1919
2002
The light Neo-Classicism of the 1940s lives on in the music of Henning Wellejus. Always bearing in mind that music should be comprehensible and enjoyable to its audience, Wellejus has for over fifty years written works that eschew modernistic idioms. Instead the melody is often given pride of place, and is supported by elegant handling of the orchestra. Even erudite counterpoint sounds charming when Wellejus wields the pen. Otherwise, Wellejus is often preoccupied with finding a distinctively Danish tone, and in this respect he has drawn inspiration from areas like the Danish song tradition and the texts of Hans Christian Andersen. Early in his career in particular, Henning Wellejus wrote large-scale works - including a symphony and some operas - but his later works are more succinct. With great love, he also cultivates the very small genres in songs and hymns, in a classical balance of form, content and tradition.